Reign of Love
by TheBlindGoddess
Summary: She was the only survivor of the Romanov family. She was sent to a time that is to be. Seventy three years into the future and she finds herself in 1990 Hogwarts's Sorting Ceremony. She is Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia and this is the incredible story of her survival.
1. Prologue

Title: Reign of Love

Author: TheBlindGoddess

Rating: T

Characters: Cedric Diggory/Anastasia Romanov

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my cat, and she doesn't even like me that much. Stupid cat -.- If I owned Ced, I would be washing my clothes on his abs. Hehe, get it? Since he has washboard like – you know what? Nevermind.

~Prologue~

Anastasia's POV

"_She'll be the last of the Romanov line to draw breath."_

No, this can't be true. It just can't be. Mama had to be lying. She had to be.

"_She'll live only if they die."_

A rain of gunshots was the last thing I heard. This couldn't be happening. I can't leave them. I just can't – I just did.

"_Seventy three years into the future she must go to survive. Any other time and her voyage will ultimately fail."_

I wish I was never born. My name has only brought me pain and misery. I wish I was never born. I wish I was never me.

"_She'll meet the leader of the light and her path will be cleared. Although, she may be traveling to the time that is to be, her mind and soul will embody the time gone by. Her protector is king."_

What does that even mean? Rasputin was never one to clarify on his thoughts.

"_She'll meet The One and he will be the only one that can liberate her of her inner struggles. Love will reign the lands of her heart."_

I only want to live a normal life, or as normal as it can be. Me being a witch and all. I never asked to be a daughter to the Tsar. I never asked to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cedric's POV

"Hey Ced!" A short second year shouted in my ear.

"I thought we have a conversation about you not calling me Ced, remember, Edward?" I responded.

"You're right, I remember now. Just don't call me Edward, it sounds weird coming from you. Did you see Angelina? She said hi to me! She must know we're meant to be together. I told you she was smart." Eddie, my best friend since we met last year on the Hogwarts Express, babbled on about this and that.

"If she was smart she would run the other way," I bantered with him.

"She's smart enough not drool every time she sees you. Seriously Diggory, you need to leave some ladies to me. You don't need the whole female population falling at your feet."

"I neither asked for the attention nor want it. I'm totally okay with being Cedric Diggory, period. A dedicated Hufflepuff student, not a heartthrob or whatever their new nickname is this year. None of the first year girls see me as a person, they only see my outside and you know I hate that. I just want someone I can talk to." I only wanted someone that would see me as Cedric, the boy; not Cedric, the cutest first year in Hogwarts.

"Yeah, good luck with that 'awful' life of yours, now all this conversing has built me an appetite, I'm going to go find the food trolley and get me some cauldron cakes, do you want something, mate?"

"Could you get me some pumpkin pasties, please? And while you're at it, if you find a brain for yourself that would be splendid." I said as serious as I could but I could not hide the smirk blooming on my face.

"Haha. Look who thinks himself a comedian. You crack me up mate, real funny. Why don't you get that stick out of Angelina! Hey! Hi! What's up girl? Long time no see, how was your summer? Did you miss me? I totally didn't know your compartment was next to mine, coincidence? I think not."

Well, I wasn't going to get my pumpkin pasties anytime soon thanks to Angelina. As I stared out of the window I thought on all the things the new school year would bring, hopefully this year would be better than last year. Hopefully it's more fun and intriguing that the last.

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

I clapped and cheered for every new first year that got into Hufflepuff. As the list of first years diminished in size, I zoned out for a bit looking at the window behind the teacher's table. I felt a jab on my side and I turned to my left.

"What is it?" I asked Eddie. His only response was a nod to where McGonagall was standing next to the Sorting Hat.

"Anastasia Romanov! Miss Romanov please come forth to get sorted. We do not have all the time in the world! Anastasia Romanov!" I could see a vein in Professor McGonagall's forehead coming out with all the shouting the woman did.

"Do you think she got lost?" I heard someone whisper over at the Gryffindor table.

"She's probably too shy to go get sorted. Maybe she knows she'll get into Hufflepuff and she ran away. I mean, I would. Who would want to be a Hufflepuff?" I heard Marcus Flint "whisper" to his friends over at the Slytherin table.

The whispers wouldn't stop. I just turned to the teacher's table to gauge Headmaster Dumbledore's reaction to one of his students not showing up and all I saw on the professor's weathered face was a smirk and a glint in his blue eyes.

All conversations in the room seized to exist the moment a flying lion broke through the enormous window behind Headmaster Dumbledore. Gasps and screams were heard throughout. The ones closest to the front covered their eyes from the glass being rained on them. I could only stare open mouthed at the girl sitting on the back of the beast that was roaring its lungs out. The only words that came to my mind were eloquently said by an older Hufflepuff siting a couple of seats to my left:

"Bloody hell?!"

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

"You oversized cat! What do you think you're doing? That's a window you're fly...aaaaaaaaaah!"

But before I could finish my sentence directed at Alexandr, my griffin like pet, I felt my right arm lift to my eyes to protect them from the shattering glass.

_Stupid oversized feline! We could have easily entered through a door!_

I felt Alexandr maneuver through...heat? I finally realized I had closed my eyes and when I opened them to see a sea of floating candles plus Alexandr's unexpected left turn, I lost my balance and felt myself falling slowly and I realized someone must have delayed my inopportune fall with a charm.

I finally landed...on something warm and...soft. I slowly, trying to postpone my prominent embarrassment, turned my head and caught sight of the greyest eyes I've ever seen.

"Sorry," I started saying to the boy until Alexandr popped his head next to the boy's head and adding to my accumulating embarrassment, licked his face and hair.

"No! Alexandr, stop it! It's not play time, malenkaya! (Little [one])" I said with a movement of my wand that I had gotten out while I was reprimanding him. At the mention of my spell Alexandr's wings started to compress to a more reasonable size and his mature lion body turned into the body of a 3 weeks old lion cub.

I suddenly realized that I was still sitting on the boy's lap so with another muttered sorry, I jumped off of him, only for Alexandr to jump on my arms. With the unexpected weight in my arms and my not trustworthy balance I was on my way to greet the floor with my face, until I felt somebody's hands going around my torso.

I seriously hope it's not the same boy I landed on. Okay, I'm going to turn my head on the count of three._ One, two, too late._ I turned my face and two grey eyes met my blue ones. Thankfully, I heard someone clearing their throat behind the boy's head and another voice in a kind tone said:

"We've been waiting for you, little one," I've heard this voice before.

As soon as the kind voice finished another one picked up.

"You are late! And I will assume you are Miss Romanov, correct?" An old lady with a Scottish accent asked.

As I disentangled myself from the boy with muttered thanks, I opened my mouth to respond but someone beat me to the punch.

"Minerva, calm down, and you should be aware that a princess is never late, everyone else is just early." As my eyes landed on the voice's owner, I realized where I knew it from.

"Gospodin (Mister) Dumbledore!" I exclaimed, quite loudly, if I do say so myself.

"Hello little one," He greeted as he opened up his arms to catch me in them. "Are you ready to be sorted? And do not worry about the window; I know how Alexandr likes to make an entrance."

And with a quiet yes I realized the hall was eerily silent.

As Mr. Dumbledore took my hand to lead me to the front of the room where a ratty black hat sat on a small wooden stool, I saw how kids raging from my age and older looked at me and Alexandr.

_I guess they've never seen this type of griffin before._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Eddie's POV

"Mate, I bet she would like you even more if you closed your mouth. I swear I saw a fly go in there a couple minutes ago."

"Huh?" Wow, this girl left him speechless. Kudos to her. I wonder...

"Hey Cedric, with you being a quidditch fan and all. Who do you think is going to win the first match of the season, Slytherclaw or Gryffinpuff?" He must really fancy her if he can't answer this question.

"Huh? Uh...the second one," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, as he turned around and located the person that was burning a whole in his mind.

"You're right, mate. That was a stupid question." More like a really stupid answer. I shook my head as I also turned around to see this year's most anticipated sorting.

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

As I sat on the stool, I only got a glimpse of the school's denizens before the ratty hat was dropped on my head.

"Hmmm...what do we have here? A royal?" I heard someone say inside my head.

_Yes, I'm..._

"Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia. The question is, what are you doing so far from home?"

As I thought of this, only one thing came to mind:

_I don't know._

"Hmmm, yes, well. What house should I put you in? How about Slytherin? You're a pure blood witch but I can see where you wouldn't fit there, you're not 'resourceful' enough for them. That's a compliment."

_Thank you?_

"How about Ravenclaw? You're witty and intelligent but I can see where you would get bored of your housemates, so no to Ravenclaw, so lets keep going, shall we?"

_I guess._

"Well, now it's only between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. I can see you fitting in both houses very well, but which one would be better?"

_Well, I think that..._

"GRYFFINDOR!"

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Cedric's POV

I watched the hatstall for what felt like hours but was probably a couple of minutes. I could feel the disappointment on my face the moment the Sorting Hat announced that she was to be placed in Gryffindor. Never have I ever wanted to be placed in Gryffindor as much as that moment.

_Anastasia. What a pretty name..._

I was hauled from my inner musings when I felt something furry underneath my hand. With a confused filled visage, I looked down to see that a little furry ball with wings had strayed from his owner.

"Hey, what are you doing here, buddy?" The only response I received was a squeak and a lick to my hand. "Want to seat next to me?" Another squeak. "I'll take your squeak as a yes. If it wasn't a yes, squeak now, or forever hold your peace," a reticent lion cub looked up at me. "Good." As I pulled him onto the bench, I saw that Anastasia was sitting between the Weasley twins...laughing?

I bet I could make her laugh even more than those two ever could.

"Uh...Cedric? I think your new pet is trying to get to get dinner," I heard Eddie say.

"What?" I snapped my head to face Eddie. He only pointed to the cub trying to get to the food that had sneaked its way on the table. "When did the food appear?" I couldn't have zoned out for that long. Could I?

"The food appeared a couple minutes ago," Eddie responded as he put more potatoes on his plate.

"Oh okay, that's not too bad," I said as I reached for what the lion wanted. "Eat up, buddy."

"Yeah, like ten minutes ago, after Dumbledore was done with his beginning of the year speech." Eddie said with a chuckle.

The thought that this was going to be a long year was the only thing that crossed my mind as I let my head fall on the table.

_I'm screwed._

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

The school so far was great! I met two red headed twins, Fred and George Weasley, that kept asking me how come I didn't get into trouble from breaking the window in the Great Hall.

"Well, I...I've known Professor Dumbledore since I was little. He used to be my older sisters's tutor. I guess you could say he's a family friend."

"Professor Dumbledore? A tutor?" Fred started.

And George picked up right after him, "He became headmaster in 1955, how is that even possible, Fred?"

"I don't know, George." Fred responded.

"Anastasia?" Both twins said at the same time as they turned to stare at me.

"My family knew him a little bit before that." I said with a bowed head and a, hopefully, inaudible tremble in my voice.

"Interesting..." George commented and Fred continued.

"Yes, George, very interesting. Do you like quidditch?" I was so grateful for the change of subject in our conversation that I could have cried and laughed at the same time.

As I finished laughing I gave them my response, "Yes, I haven't played in a while so I may be a little rusty but I do love it."

While I laughed all throughout dinner with Fred, George and their friend Lee Jordan, I was aware of the preeminent meeting Professor Dumbledore would probably want to have after dinner was over.

As I was thinking this the same woman that had accused me of being late at the sorting, what had Professor Dumbledore called her? It was something starting with an M...huh? Well she told the first years to follow the prefects to their designated common rooms. I knew the conversation would happen but I would stall as much as I could because I did not feel like sharing my story right now.

As Fred and George stood up I mouthed to them "Hide me!" I guess the boys saw the desperation in my eyes because as soon as we stood up both boys shielded me but as we neared the entrance to the hall Professor Dumbledore's omniscient voice said "Oh! And Miss Romanov please stay behind."

I stopped and cringed at the thought of staying behind. Both Weasleys gave me looks that I interpreted as "Good luck" and "We want details." I nodded at both of them as I pulled a necklace from my shirt that had a whistle at the end.

As I blew on the whistle I could hear Alexandr's squeaks and rustling of his feathers. I looked to see where he had gone off to and my eyes connected with the same grey one from earlier. While I gave him a smile I couldn't stop my mind from thinking - _I don't even know his name._

With one last smile directed at Grey Eyes, a nickname I will call him until I found out his real name, I turned around to see Professor Dumbledore with the lady from earlier.

_This was going to be a long night._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Anastasia's POV

As we made the trek to Professor Dumbledore's office, I felt the other teacher, whose name I had forgotten, give me looks the whole way there.

While I was getting impatient with all the stares, Professor Dumbledore must have sensed the tension between the woman and I because he stopped in front of a opening in the wall that housed a rather large stone gargoyle.

While I was getting ready to ask how we were going to get to the office, Professor Dumbledore said, "Acid pops."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the randomness of the password, only Dumbledore would be crazy enough about sweets to make it his password. The aforementioned wizard turned at the sound of my laughter with a twinkle in his cerulean eyes and a smirk on his face.

"Ladies first." Dumbledore said with an over the top bow.

"Why thank you, my good sir." Was my response which I gave with a curtsey of my own and a British accent.

We could only chuckle at the female teacher's bewildered face.

As we entered Dumbledore's office, I couldn't help to stop and take a look at the whimsical and peculiar aura of it all. There were trinkets here and there, anywhere where the eye could see there was something else. I could see portraits of many men and women, all who were either sleeping or looking curiously down at us. Some were nice and said hi while others couldn't care less that we were there. My wondrous view of the office was put to rest as my eyes landed on a recently reborn phoenix.

"Fawkes!"

I made my way to him as fast as I could. The sight of Dumbledore's familiar almost had me in tears, it reminded me of too many memories of my family. Before I let myself pet him, I looked back at Dumbledore to make sure I was allowed to touch him - all I received was a nod and a knowing look.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and knew it was time.

"Anastasia, do you know what a pensieve is?" I heard Dumbledore inquire of me after I sat down in a chair.

I knew I could not avoid this anymore so I only responded with a nod.

"Would you mind it if Professor McGonagall and I," _so her name did start with an M,_ "took a look at your memories?"

"Do I need to remember anything?" I finally lifted my head to see pity in his eyes as I felt a tear travel down my cheek.

"No, little one. There's no need for you to remember anything you do not have any desire to remember."

"Then take whatever you need." I whispered as I wiped the tear away.

Dumbledore nodded as he stood up and began taking the repressed memories from my unconscious. I could see where he took them with his wand and deposited them in the pensieve. As he gestured for Professor McGonagall to go forth, I felt a hand on my shoulder, but before I could see her face, she was already next to Dumbledore, both bending down and waiting to be absorb into the memories.

While the adults were still in the pensieve, I perused the books he had on his desk. After a few minutes I ended up falling sleep on Dumbledore's chair with a book on my lap and Alexandr next to the chair.

After what felt like a couple of hours of much needed sleep, I was suddenly woken up by a crying McGonagall pulling me into a hug.

"I am so sorry, you poor child. That must have been a terrible thing for you to go through." McGonagall said through her tears.

As I pushed myself at arms length from her, I could only respond with "Child? I believe I'm older than you."

"We are in 1990 and you are currently eleven years old and I am...significantly older than that, hence making me the older of the two." I could see a smirk appearing on her face.

"But I was born in 1901." I retorted back.

"Touché." I could see a smile on her face which I thought was the exact smile I had on mine.

I pulled her in for another hug as she told Dumbledore that she would take me to Gryffindor's common room.

When I pulled away from the hug I couldn't help the thought that she reminded me of Maria.

As I went to take Alexandr into my arms, Dumbledore surprised me by giving me a hug.

"I hope your new journey is better than your last, little one." He whispered into my ear.

"Me too."

"Do you have everything you need, school wise, or is there anything you are in the need of or want?"

"Thank you, but no. I have everything I could ever need in here." I said as I pulled a small kiss lock bag from my cloak. "It was a gift from my grandmama Maria."

"Okay, little one. If you need anything you know the password to my office." His reference to his password made me smile.

"C'mon Anastasia, you still have to go to school in the morning." Professor McGonagall reminded me.

As we were walking out of the office I turned around to give Dumbledore one last wave goodbye which he responded with one of his own.

While we made our journey to Gryffindor Tower, McGonagall and I talked about anything that came to mind. Our innocent conversation turned into a battle of who could say it faster.

"What subject do you teach?"

"Transfiguration."

"How many years have you been teaching?"

"Many."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"I'm...Anastasia." She said to me with a playful glare.

"Fine, fine. Touchy subject. Hmmm...," I brought the hand that wasn't already in hers up to my chin in a 'thinking' pose that I saw Olga used with Tatiana many a time, "...what was the name of the boy I landed on during the sorting?"

"Oh! That was young Cedric Diggory." She said it with a surprised tone. "He's a really good boy, very studious and courteous."

"Cedric Diggory." I said as if I was tasting his name.

_Cedric Diggory. Cedric...Diggory. Cedric. I like it._

I stopped thinking about his name when I felt McGonagall stop in front of a portrait with a rotund lady on it.

"This is the entrance to the common room," she said as she gestured to the portrait. "Neutiquam erro (I am not lost) is the password." The portrait opened to a room a circular hole on the wall that lead to a circular room that looked as if it was bleeding with all the scarlet tapestries hanging on its walls. There was a fireplace on the far wall and many chairs and couches that looked absolutely wonderful.

"The staircase on the right leads to the girls' dormitories. You should go up and sleep while you can. The sets of books you will be needing for the school year should be on the desk next to your bed. Just go on up and look for the first years door."

I nodded and made a move for the stairs but I couldn't help and turn back to throw myself at Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall." I said into her waist.

"You are welcome and please call me Minerva but only when we are not in the presence of other students." She said while she stroked my hair.

"Okay Minerva." I responded as I looked up at her.

"Goodnight." I said as I gave her a wave from the stairs.

"Sleep well, dear child."

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

As I readied myself for bed, I couldn't help but feel out of place. This was not the time I was born into. If I had stayed in my timeline I would be...eighty nine years old right now!

I felt faint after that thought so I laid down on my four poster bed. I felt Alexnadr crawl on the bed and he started playing with my hand so I would pet him. While I petted him I murmured a quote from a book my mother used to read to me when I was little.

"Alexandr, I've a feeling we're not in Russia anymore." As I said this I heard Alexandr yawn. I could only roll my eyes at him.

_Alexandr, you oversized cat!_ Was the last thought on my mind as I fell into a peaceful sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Anastasia's POV

The next morning, I woke up to laughter floating around in the room.

As I opened the curtain of my bed, I couldn't help but let out a groan as the bright light pierced my eyes. In that moment I did the most unworthy thing considering my title - I flopped back down on my bed and pulled the comforter above my head.

"You know, if you get up now you can have more time to get ready and impress Cedric Diggory," I heard someone say above me, "Although, he did looked pretty astonished last night when he had you on his lap."

Too curious to know the owner of the voice, I pulled back my blanket and looked up to see a brunette with brown eyes and Alexandr in her arms.

"What makes you think that I want to impress him?"

"Well, I could start with how much you blushed last night and I could also..." I had to interrupt her, I was starting to blush.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I blushed so much I turned the same color as my hair. By the way, I'm Anastasia Romanov." I said as I offered my hand to shake hers.

"Katie Bell," she said as she shook my hand. "And everyone knows your name, who wouldn't know the name of the girl that made an spectacle by entering through a window?"

I flopped back on my bed with a groan as she finished talking.

"C'mon, you don't want to make Cedric Diggory wait, do you? No you don't, so go get ready." Katie practically pulled me out of bed and commanded me into the bathroom. "Oh! And Stasia?" She said as I almost closed the bathroom's door.

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't say you blushed the same color as your hair," _Thank god_, "Maybe a deeper shade but definitively not the color of your hair." She topped it of with a smile.

"Thanks Katie, I certainly wanted to know that." I said with a shake of my head.

"I know." Was the response she gave me.

_Oh dear..._

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Cedric's POV

_Anxious._

That's how I felt this morning. That's how I acted. Anxious. I couldn't stop and turn every time the door to the Great Hall was opened. Every time it wasn't her, I would turn back to my breakfast with a face full of disappointment. I knew Eddie realized how I felt and gratefully he didn't mention anything.

I may have exploded due to nerves if he did.

I heard the sound of the door opening and I looked back to see a group of first year Gryffindor girls. As I scanned every single one of their faces I didn't see her face so I ended up turning back to my to keep glaring at my breakfast.

"Mate, she might come if you stop turning back to look for her, isn't there a term for that? Did it start with a K? Huh? I'll get back to you on that." I heard Eddie say.

"Maybe you're right. Okay, next time I hear the sound of the door opening I won't look back."

As I finished saying this I heard the sound of the door opening. I felt my body tense up. I needed to see if she was there - _Get a hold of yourself Diggory!_ Inhale, exhale. Repeat.

As I calmed myself down I asked Eddie if she had walked in.

"Yes."

"Really?!" I asked as I turned around to catch a glimpse of her.

"No but I made you look." He said as he chuckled.

"Edward Lewis, I swear on my broomstick that you will pay for that." I said as threateningly as I could muster under all the anxiousness I felt.

Due to me being preoccupied with threatening Eddie's well being, I didn't hear the door open.

"She just walked in." I heard Eddie say.

"No, I'm not falling for that again."

"Mate, I'm telling you, she just walked in with some Gryffindor girl."

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes, just turn around and see for yourself." He said as he gestured wildly to the table next to ours.

"Okay."

That's when I spotted her sitting with a group of girls. She was talking and laughing along with them as if they had know each other all of their lives. I couldn't help but smile at the happiness reflected in her eyes. It was as if they were glowing. They were such a radiant blue, I just wanted to get closer to see them better.

And that's when my smile turned into a frown. As I had basked in her beauty, both Weasley twins had gotten up from their seats and sat down next to her.

I didn't realize I was standing up and walking over to where she was sitting until I was already in her line of vision.

_This is going to be interesting._

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

A couple of minutes earlier

As I was sitting with Katie and two girls she introduced me to, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, I felt two pairs of arms slide on my shoulders.

"How's our dear Ana," Fred started and George continued.

"Stasia feeling on this lovely morning?"

"Fred! George!" Alicia and Angelina exclaimed as the twins pushed them to sit next to me.

"I'm Gred," said the twin to my right.

"And I'm Forge, please get it right next time," the twin to my left finished.

I couldn't help but chuckle at their nicknames.

"Whatever you call yourselves, we were eating when we were so rudely interrupted." Angelina said to whom I believed to be Fred.

"Oh! Is Stasia's not so secret admirer staring too much to handle?"

"What?" I finally entered the conversation.

"Look at poor Diggory over in the Hufflepuff table." The twin on my left said.

"The boy practically has had his eyes glued on you the entire time." The twin on my right continued. "But does it matter, Gred? His eyes are dreamy."

"And he's so cute and adorable." The twin on my left said as he put a hand on his forehead while he fanned himself with the other one. "Some people say the eyes are the window to your soul, well his eyes are the key to mine."

I was outright laughing at this point. I couldn't help it. The twins were so funny.

"Uh oh, he's coming over here," I heard Alicia whisper.

_What? Oh no. This isn't good._

**AN**: I just want to say thank you to everyone that has followed this story or put it as a favorite. You have no idea how it makes my day to see that people actually like it. And even though most *cough* all *cough* my readers are silent readers, I still appreciate people looking at my story. Don't be shy and write a review, tell me what you like and don't like, anything, you can even just say hi. I'm pathetic, I know. But I just want to know what people like/dislike. Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Anastasia's POV

"Okay, teeth check." Alicia whispered.

"What? Why?" While I talked I could see Alicia checking my teeth.

_Never mind._

"Okay, you're good. Shhhh, shut up. He's coming! Act normal!" Was the last thing that was murmured before Cedric arrived.

"Anastasia?" I heard while I had my head down, looking at my breakfast.

"Yes?" I raised my head so fast I may have cause myself some whiplash. I tried not to wince too much at the pain I felt on my neck.

"May I talk to you?" He asked. I turned back to see Katie giving me a thumbs up from where she sat across from me.

"Uh...yeah, sure." I responded. "Here? Or outside?"

"Would you mind if we talked outside?" He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not at all, lead the way."

Those were the last words I said before my whole life turned upside down. That September morning awarded me with a great group of friends and a best friend I wouldn't trade for the world. Cedric and I became attached at the hip after that conversation. Alexandr had certainly taken a liking to Cedric since most meals were spent eating with him at the Hufflepuff table, rather than at the Gryffindor table with me. Ced and I spent so much time together that even the twins learned to "tolerate" him, as they called it themselves, and now they would hang out and talk about quidditch nonstop.

_Boys_.

My friendship with Minerva progressed so much that I now had tea with her every Saturday. That also happened with Professor Dumbledore. Every time I saw him in the hallway, humming to himself, he would give me his favorite candy of the moment. First year was okay, I missed Russia but I knew it was still not time for me to go back. I would just go to Grandmama's estate in France for the better part of the summer. Cedric would come visit me and then we would stay at his house for a couple of days before we had to comeback to school.

Everyone has been getting anxious and excited about next year. Apparently some really special kid would be coming for the incoming school year. I didn't know the whole story but Ced told me he would tell me the whole thing during the summer so I stopped asking about it. I couldn't wait for the summer and the incoming year.

_Hopefully it's as good as the last._

**AN:** Okay, yes. So I've been itching to get into the Golden Trio's first year so this means a time skip. I'll probably write something for the time missing of Anastasia's first year later on. It's definitively on my to-do list. Okay well, sorry for the shortness of the chapter, I promise this won't be common on the chapters to come. Thanks for reading! Leave me a review if you any questions or comments.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Anastasia's POV

"Okay kids, are you sure you have everything you need?" Mrs. Diggory asked Ced and I for what seemed like the tenth time in the five minutes we have been saying goodbye before we boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"Yes, mum." Ced retorted with a smile on his face.

"Yes, Mrs. Diggory." I said with a nod and a smile equaling Cedric's.

"Anastasia, dear, what did we discussed?"she said as she looked down at me and held my shoulders tenderly. "That you can call me mum or Eugenia if you want. Okay, sweetheart? You might as well be my daughter, there needs to be a balance in the ratio of women to men in the house. Now, write to me as much as you want. You too Cedric."

She said as she released me from a hug.

"Sure mum."

"Okay,"she whispered as she looked at us. "You guys grow up so fast. Okay, group hug." As she motioned for us to move into her embrace Mr. Diggory finally arrived.

"Eugenia, calm down. You'll see the kids again at Christmas. So you should really stop hugging the life out of them if you want to see them there." Mr. Diggory said as he put an arm around his wife.

"Son, you go to to Hogwarts and be the best Hufflepuff there is, okay?" Then he turned to me and said, "You too Anastasia. You go and be the bravest Gryffindor there is, okay?"

A few kisses and hugs later we were on the train waving goodbye at the Diggorys from an opened window.

As the train started moving and we were losing sight of the couple, we went back in and started to look for a compartment we could spend the journey in.

"Gosh, I love you parents." I said I as we walked down the aisle.

"Well, good thing they love you too." He responded with a glance back at me and a smile.

"I'm glad. Hey, I just saw a flash of red hair enter that compartment, it's probably Fred and George. Lets go sit in there!" I said as I took his hand and took off running in the direction of the compartment.

"Fred! Geog...hey, you're not Fred or George," I exclaimed as I entered the compartment to see a scared redheaded boy and a small boy with dark hair and glasses both looking up at me. "Huh? Hmmm...you look like the twins, you have the same hair color as them, are you their little brother?" I said as I zoomed in on his face.

"Uh...yes." He said with a sidelong glance at the other boy.

"Then you're Ron, mystery solved." I said as I moved some steps back from him. "Oh! I almost forgot, I'm Anastasia Romanov, nice to meet you." I said as I offered my hand to the youngest Weasley boy. "And that's Cedric Diggory." I motioned to Ced behind me.

"Anastasia Romanov. Nice to meet you." I repeated for the other boy.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you as well." He said as he shook my hand.

"Well, Harry, Harry Potter and baby Weasley, may we share your compartment, please? There's no empty compartments and we couldn't find your brothers. They're probably scheming away some pranks with Lee right now."

"Yeah sure."

"Thanks." I said as I sat down.

In a couple of minutes Ced and Ron were talking about quidditch and the newest broom in the market and I couldn't help but notice how little Harry contributed to the conversation.

"Do you not like quidditch?" I enquired as I sat down next to him.

"No, it's that I've never played it before."

"Well, I can teach you how to play it if you would like."

"Thanks, I'd love that."

"Here, give me your glasses." As I waved my wand over his glasses the brake disappeared along with the tape.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic." I responded simply with a wave of my hands over my face.

"Thank you Anastasia." He said as he chuckled.

"No problem, you remind me of my little brother so it's okay." I said as I remembered Alexei.

"How old is he?"

"He's three years younger than me."

"Will he come to Hogwarts?"

"No, let's just say that war took his opportunity away." I said as I bowed my head.

"I'm sorry, my parents were killed when I was a baby." He said as he was trying to comfort me.

"Yeah, that happened to my family also, it was a couple of years ago. War always destroys families." I didn't notice that by the end we were whispering to each other and he was holding my hand.

I saw Cedric giving me a concerned look and mouthed if I was okay which to I responded with a nod and a small smile. Ron didn't even notice as he was telling Cedric about something related to quidditch or whatnot.

As soon as I turned back to Harry, a girl with Alexandr in her arms entered the compartment.

"Is an Anastasia in here? Her griffin was running around and some third years told me he belonged to a girl named Anastasia."

"That would be me." I said as I lifted my right hand in the air.

"You? You...look..." She started whispering words under her breath and she was looking at me with surprised eyes. "It can't be...dead." Was the last thing she muttered as she fainted.

"Cedric! Catch her!"

_This year was certainly starting on an interesting note._

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Cedric's POV

"Cedric! Catch her!" Anastasia said before the girl fell. I stood up as fast as I could and got there on time for the girl to fall in my arms. As she fainted she had dropped Alexandr who squeaked at her in protest before he settled himself on the seat next to the window.

"Lay her down on the seat, okay, does anybody have candy? Chocolate? Anything?" Anastasia said as she started to take over the situation as she always did.

"Ron, Harry, go find the food trolley and get anything with chocolate, uh...and some blood-flavored lollipops, okay?" She said as she handed them money. "If you hurry you can buy yourselves anything you want with the rest of the money, okay? Go! Hurry!"

"Why do you think she fainted?" I asked Anastasia who was holding the girl's hand.

"I'm not sure, I have an idea, but we won't know until she wakes up."

"She'll be fine." I said as I kneeled down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I know. It's just horrible that somebody passes out after they see your face." She said with a shake of her head.

"I know, you're not even that ugly." I said with the most serious tone I could muster.

"Hey! I'm not ugly! If anyone's ugly in this compartment it's you!" She said with an indignant tone as she shoved me off of her.

"I'm just kidding, Anastasia. You're beautiful." I said as I put my arms around her again and gave her a kiss on the head.

"Kiss up." I heard her say under her breath with a shake of her head but I also felt her relax in my arms.

A couple of seconds later the boys reentered the compartment with their arms filled with candy.

"Good, Ron, give me the blood-flavored lollipops." Anastasia said as she stood up.

"Sure." The boy said as he unceremoniously dumped all the candy on the seat.

"Good, also give me some chocolate."

When she had both things in her hands, she kneeled again and unwrapped the lollipop and carefully placed it over the girls tongue.

The girl woke with a jump and a grimace and Anastasia gently took the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?" She asked the girl.

"That was disgusting." The girl said.

"Yeah, sorry, we didn't know how to wake you up. Here, have some chocolate. Don't move too fast, okay? Don't stand up until you feel okay again. Cedric, please help me move her to a sitting position."

As we moved her to a sitting position, the girl started apologizing for fainting.

"It's okay, it happens to everybody when they see her face." I motioned to Anastasia's face, who had a frown on it.

"Ha and ha. You're so funny. Who taught you your sense of humor? Eddie? I'm going to tell him he's a horrible teacher." Anastasia's focus went back to the girl who was eating chocolate and watching our conversation like a very interesting match of quidditch.

"What's your name?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione. I'm Anastasia Romanov, this goof is Cedric Diggory, the redhead is Ron Weasley and that's Harry Potter."

"You're Anastasia Romanov?! And you're Harry Potter?!" She exclaimed. I could see Anastasia glance back at Harry before both said yes.

"How are you still alive? It's not possible, you were born in 1901. You're Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, I've read books about you and your family. It was rumored that you lived but that was decades ago."

Hermione would have probably kept talking nonsense if Anastasia hasn't interrupted her.

"It's not impossible? Think Hermione, how can it not be possible when you're right now sitting on a train to a school that teaches witchcraft and wizardry? I know it's not common but still. Okay?" As if she knew I was confused out of my mind, she turned around and told me she would tell me later.

As curious as I was, I knew pushing her would only make her close up so I only nodded in response.

"Okay, we're probably almost there, so you three go and change. You've had too much excitement for one day and you still have the Sorting to go through. So go and change into your uniform."

"I remember where I heard your name now!" Ron exclaimed out of nowhere as he was leaving the compartment. "You're the girl that entered the Great Hall through the window on her griffin in last year's Sorting!" I smiled thinking over the situation that cultivated my friendship with Anastasia.

"You did what?!" Hermione asked wide eyed.

"Wow, cool." Harry mentioned with a smile.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you guys later what happened." She said with a resigned air.

As they left, I turned to Anastasia. "You know they're not your kids, right?" As I said this, I grabbed her hand and pulled her next to me on the seat.

"Yeah." She said into my chest.

"I'm trying out for the quidditch team." I said suddenly.

"You are? That's great. Now I have a legitimate reason for going to the matches for other than ogling cute older guys."

I just stared at her until her resistance broke down.

"Kidding, I was kidding. I only ogle one guy," I smiled at this, thinking she was going to say me. "Oliver Wood. Pardon me, Captain Oliver Wood. It sounds so official. He's so dreamy." She said with a sigh.

"I could be captain if I wanted." I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.

"Yes but Oliver is majestic on his broom." Another sigh.

"Okay, stop the fan girl nonsense." I said with an authoritative tone.

"Fine, I'll just stare at him during dinner, I could probably even sit beside him. Yes, that's perfect."

"Okay, I'm leaving." I said as I stood up.

I stopped when I felt a hand holding gently onto my wrist.

"Okay, I'm done."

"Are you sure? I could probably go tell him to come see you right now if you want."

_I lied. No I wouldn't._

"No, I'm okay. I could even tell you who's my favorite quidditch player this year."

"Who is it?"

_She's probably going to say Wood._

"You." I sat down when she said this.

"You haven't even seen me play and I'm not even in the team."

"But you will be and then you'll be my favorite quidditch player ever. You're already my favorite person in the world so it won't take much too make you my favorite player."

"I'm your favorite person in the world?" I felt a smile growing on my lips.

_Ha! Take that Wood._

"Of course. What? Am I not your favorite person?" She said with a worried tone.

"Silly girl, of course you are." I said as I pulled her in for a hug.

"Good. We should probably go change."

"Let's go." As said as I hauled her off the seat.

_This year has had a great start, I just hope that it will last._

CDxAR CDxAR CDxAR

Anastasia's POV

As we were ready to descend the train, I turned to the trio.

"Good luck in your sorting, hopefully you get into the house that you want."

"What house are you in, Anastasia?" Harry asked.

"The best one," I whispered clandestinely, "Gryffindor. Just remember that all houses are great, no matter what others say, okay? I'll still talk to you guys, no matter what house you're in."

As we descended into the chaos that was the station, Cedric and I waved goodbye at the three as we went to the carriage that would take us to Hogwarts.

"Cedric?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Why does Harry's name sound so familiar?" I said as I looked up at him. He had grown over the summer and was now towering over me like a giant.

"That's because he's the boy who lived. Remember the story I told you over the summer? He's that kid." He said with a chuckle and a shake of his head at me for forgetting.

_Oh crap._

**AN:** Hope you liked the time skip. Please review if you have any comments or suggestions.


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